Filling for cavities in trees and method of filling such cavities



July '14, 1925.

EES AND METHOD OF FILLING SUCH CAVITIES F. A. BARTLETT Filed July 25, 1924 INVENTOR.

JWWJ 0M FILLING FOR CAVITIES IN TR A TTORNEY.

Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,545,999 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS A. BARTLETT, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

FILLING FOR CAVITIES IN TREES AND METHOD OF FILLING SUCH CA'VITIES.

Application filed July 25, 1924. Serial No. 728,071.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. BARTLETT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stamford, in the county of Fair field and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Fillings for Cavities in Trees and Methods of Filling Such Cavities, of which the following is a specification.

In the filling of cavities in trees it is quite common to employ a plastic body consisting of a compound of suitable ingredients. Some of these compounds include a salt, such, for example, as magnesium chloride. It is not uncommon that in the filling of cavities the compound employed contacts with the wood of the tree upon the interior of the cavity. In some instances the filling of cavities has proved unsuccessful, and it has been thought that the reason for some unsuccessful results was that some portion of the compound, for instance a salt, may have separated out and coming into contact with the sap portion of the wood or with the cambium has resulted injuriously. In order to prevent this the cavities in some instances have been painted or covered over with a coating of a suitable paint. While this has proved of considerable advantage, it has not had the efi'ect of completely removing the diiliculty.

lhe general object of the present invention is to provide a filling of novel construction with means whereby the plastic portion thereof is prevented from contacting with the sap and cambium portions of the wood of a tree surrounding the cavity which is being filled.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a filling of the character indicated which is simple in construction and which may be placed within a cavity readily and with facility.

It is also a further object of the invention to provide a novel method for the filling of cavities in trees whereby a filling of composite structure may be placed in position within a cavity so as to prevent contact of certain portions thereof with the sap and cambium portions of the wood of the tree surrounding or forming the cavity.

Without attempting here to indicate all of the various objects and advantages of the invention, I shall now proceed to a detailed description of the same, referring for that purpose to the drawing, in which l have illustrated one ccnvenient t r-. 3; cf enchant ment of the same. It is to be understood, however, that changes in the details of construction may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the said invention.

In the drawing,-

Fig. 1 is a view in transverse section of the bole of a tree with a cavity therein, and showing a portion of the means employed in the filling of the cavity;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of the bole of a tree enlarged so as to show more clearly the arrangement relatively to each other of the portion of the filling structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the bole of a tree, showing a cavity provided with a completed filling embodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a portion of the hole of a tree and showing in front elevation a filled cavity; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the sap portion of a tree, 2 the bark portion, and 3 the heart portion thereof. The cavity is indicated at 4. It will be understood that in the forming of a cavity all of the diseased or decayed wood should be removed so that nothing but healthy sound wood is exposed within the cavity. The manner or method of forming these cavities is well understood in the art. 9

A cavity having been prepared, the outer portion of the surface thereof, comprising the bark and preferably the greater part of the sap portion of the wood, is covered by means of narrow strips or, if preferred, a single strip of surgeons adhesive tape 5 or a tape of similar character. Such tape, as is well known, is provided upon one side with a suitable adhesive. The presence of such adhesive enables the securing of the strip or strips to the surface of that portion, as already indicated, of the interior of the cavity to which it is desined to apply the same. If the covering tape consists of a plurality of pieces or sections, the ends thereof should he closely ahntted in obvious man'- ner. The tape having been placed in position so that it overlies the line between the hark and the wood, it together with portions of the cavity inwardly of the inner edge thereof is covered with a suitable waterproof paint, such. for instance, an asphaltnm, in

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dicated at 6. The coating' of paint having been applied, the inner e ge portion of the tape and adjoining portions of the wood are covered by a layer of plastic cement 7, such, for example, as that blown in the market as Slaters cement. This layer of cement in the completed structure consists of a relatively narrow strip and completely covers the line of jointure between the inner edge of the tape and the cavity wall so that the seepage or entry of any portion ofthe plastic compound 8 employed as the main body of the filling structure underneath the strip of tape is positively prevented.

After having placed the layer of pastic cement 7 in position a strip 10 of suitable material, preferably waterproof, such as roofing paper, is placed in position so that the inner edge thereof extends a distance beyond the inner edge of the plastic cement 7 previously referred to. The inner edge of said strip 10 preferably should extend beyond the sap portion 1 of the wood and engage with the heart portion 3 thereof, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The outer edge of the tape 5 is flush with the outer surface of the adjacent portion of the bark 2, but preferably the outer edge of the strip 10 extends slightly beyond the adjacent'outer surface of the bark 2 so as to serve as a greater protection and to positively prevent contactof the-plastic filling material 8 or any dissolved portion thereof with the cambium and sap portions of the tree adjacent the bark.

Preferably the portion 11 of roofing material paper or equivalent material at the bottom of the cavity is separate from the remaining portion 10 thereof. The said portion ll is in the form of a trough or spout, as indicated in the drawing, and the outer portion thereof projects a considerable distance beyond the body of the tree as indicated, so that if there should be formed a liquid of any kind containing dissolved por tions of the filling material within the cavity, it will be discharged without the possibility of coming into contact with any portion of the Wood exposed within the cavity. It will be observed that the lower ends of the portion 10 of the strip of roofing paper contact with the opposite edges of the trough or spout 11.

The parts 10 and 11 having been placed in position as indicated a layer 15 of suitable plastic cement, for example Slaters cement, is placed in position upon the inner portions thereof and upon portions of the wood or layer of asphaltum paint 6 inwardly of the inner edges of the said parts 10 and 11.

It will be seen that when the portion of the filling structure, as already described, has been placed in position the main body of the plastic filling material 8 may then be packed into the cavity, and that it is imnaeaeee possible for any portion of the said plastic filling materialto contact with the sap and bark portions of the tree, more especially that portion of the tree whichis located adjacent the bark. It is of especial importancethat contact of such ingredients of the filling compound 8 as might act injuriously upon the cambium located between the bark and the sap-wood portion of the tree shall be prevented from having access thereto. lt is therefore one of the principal purposes of my invention to provide a filling structure of such character that access of portions of the filler compound 8 which might act injuriously upon the cambium and exposed portions of the tree are positively prevented from having access thereto.

It will be noted, as usual, that the outer exposed surface of the plastic filling body 8 is located inwardly of the outer edges of the strips 5 and 10, and that such surface is practically in line with the line of jointure between the barkand sap portions of the tree. Preferably, though not necessarily, a

coating of paint 16 is'applied to the outer surface of the portion 8 of the filling structure.

It will be seen that by my invention I have provided not only a new method of filling the cavities in trees, but that I have also provided a filler of simple construction which comprises means whereby the possibility of the plastic filling body 8 or any dissolved portions thereof contacting with an exposed portion of the cavity is eliminate Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A filling for the cavities of trees comprising, in combination, a layer of flexible material overlying the outer portion of a cavity, including the inner edges of the bark, cambium and sap portions of the wood, waterproof material overlying the inner edge portion of the said flexible material and adjacent portions of the wood of' the tree inwardly of the inner edge of said flexible material, and a plastic material constituting the main body of the said filling.

2. A filling for the cavities of trees comprising, in combination, a covering of a flexible strip of fabricoverlying the inner edge of the bark and adjacent portions of the sap-wood exposed within the cavity,

-means for securing said strip within the overlying the inner portion of the said fabric strip and an ad acent portion of the wood exposed within the cavity, a layer of waterproof paper overlying said strip of fabric and the said cement, a layer of cement overlying the inner edge portion of the said waterproof strip and ad oining portions of the wood inwardly of the inner edge of said strip, and a plastic filling body of material Within the cavity, which bod of material overlies the said last mentione plastic layer and the exposed portion of the said waterproof strip inwardly of the outer edge thereof.

4. A filling for the cavities of trees comprising, in combination, a covering for the outer edge portion of a cavity, which coverin consists of a fabric stri having an adhesive upon one side thereof for securing it to the surface of the cavity, a layer of plastic cement overlying the 1nner portion of the said strip and adjacent portions of the wood exposed in the cavity, a layer consisting of waterproof fabric overlying the first and second named layers, a layer of plastic cement overlying the inner edge portion of the last named layer and adjacent portions of the wood exposed in the cavity inwardly of the inner edge of the last mentioned layer, and a filling compound within whlch comprises the placing of a flexlble the said cavity, the said compound overlying the said layers, and the outer surface thereof bein located inwardly of the outer edges of the third named layer.

5. A filling for the cavities of trees comprising, in combination, a covering for the outer edge portion of a cavity, which covering consists of a strip of fabric having an adhesive coatin upon one side thereof, the inner edge of the said covering terminating a distance from the expose inner edge of the sap portion of the wood of the tree and the outer edge of said covering being flush with the outer surface of the adjacent portion of the bark, a relatively narrow covering of plastic cement overlying the inner edge 'portion of the said fabric covering and adjacent exposed portions of the wood, a third covering of waterproof paper overlying the said previously mentioned coverings and adjacent portions of the wood inwardly of the inner edge thereof and. the outer edge of the said waterproof covering extending beyond the outer surface of the adjacent portions of the bark, a relatively narrow layer of plastic cement overlying the inner edge portion of the layer of waterproof paper and adjacent exposed portions of the wood inwardly of the mner edge of the said layer of waterproof pa er, and a body of plastic filling material within the said cavity overlying the last two named layers.

6. A filling for the cavities in trees comprising, in combination, a waterproof covering for the portions of the bark and sapwood of the tree exposed within the cavity, the portion of said waterproof covering at the lower edge of the said cavity being extended beyond the bole of thetree to form a spout, and a body of lastic filling material within said cavity and overlying portion of the said waterproof layer.

7. The method of filling cavities in trees strip of fabric within the cavity over the outer edge portions thereof, thereafter placing over the said fabric strip and over adjoining portions of the wood inwardly of the inner edge of said strip a layer of waterproof materlal, and thereafter placing within the said cavity beyond the said layers and overlying the same a plastic body of filling material substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereunto signed my name this first day of July, A. D. 1924.

FRANCIS A. BARTLETT. 

